Choose Your Own Adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure
Lost in our adventure

Answers to life's challenges seem to lay themselves out in front of you. So often blinded by tunnel vision, they are missed as we go-go-go through the motions. The universe offered a hand recently when a recurring idea presented itself in conversation with three random people in my life. Interpreted differently in each case, the spirit of what was said was the same and it was such a godsend. That spirit is the epitome of that old Choose Your Own Adventure book series: you are presented with different opportunities to respond to. In responding, you make your own life for yourself...your own reality. You are the one to steer yourself through the story.

What do I want my reality to look like? Well, I've taken the matter into my hands to the utmost, paving a way with Rich to live a life of freedom: working for ourselves and submersing ourselves in a life spent in the natural world. Beyond existence on the farm, our livelihood connects us with folks who share a reverence for food and community and who appreciate work done by these hands. What's more, Rich and I went and got tangled up in love, bringing two little souls to the world and into our reality. They are living their own now, starting to poke around and play with the choices laid at their feet. While in these seedling years, I've come to see one of my most important roles being to give them the chance to live their imaginative lives to the fullest, safe from the harsher truths that abound. And admittedly in exchange, I feed off of their levity, allowing the light to brighten the dark corners of the adult world.

May joins the story

Even in impossible situations, in those no-win scenarios, there are still choices to be made which write the script for your experience. And so it is with tragedy in life that I've leaned into that idea of accepting those realities, while realizing I have the power to react and adapt, choosing my path forward. That chaos that I was fortunate enough to be sheltered from in my own childhood, I think I'm finally assuming my place in it, refusing to let it sweep me away...but rather planting my feet firmly on the solid ground that is my people and my spirituality. Perhaps something in our beings has been pushing Rich and I through the harder times in pursuit of this life together on the farm, doing such enriching work. I think it is something which called to us young in our adulthoods, beckoning us to create a haven for our family and a way to connect with the world which illuminates the inherent good there to be found.

First Season at Foxhole 2018

I can't tell you how many times I've come home from farmers market, physically exhausted and spirtually charged, invigorated by the good energy of the people who collect there, simply sharing recipes, sometimes offering us encouragement in the week to come on the farm. The simplicity of this transaction, harvesting food and bringing it to the table, it has connected us deeply with the communities we have embedded ourselves in...at one point in time Ithaca, NY, more recently in Port Austin, Michigan and Detroit...and now and indefinitely in our Dayton, O :). Forming a deep relationship with people and place has given me so much. Interestingly, despite the inevitable difficult days, I ultimately feel the collective love in my life restoring my belief in humanity.

I choose to live in this heart and headspace and refuse to choose the path of hatred or conflict or resentment or despair. At times when the skies are cloudy, or the plot is written impossibly there is still the choice for love and for hope and even for levity.


Thank you for reading :).

If you would like to support my writing or what we do you can "buy me a coffee" below: